What was the name of your local arcade?

[scottyj]

The always had some goofy name, mine was The Skill Mill. It was right across the street from a paper mill.

 

[bigmiracle]

lol

When i was growing up, there was an arcade downtown called The Tilt, a nearby arcade called The Great Escape, and finally Boardwalk.

We used to have one called Aladdin's Castle too lol

 

[Tim Static]

Where to start....

they were so many back in the late 80's to mid 90s, died off in the late 90's and totally disappeared in the 2000's

Chuck E Cheese (yes, seriously), Silver Ball, Putt Putt Golf N Games (actually worked at before i was legally allowed to work then eventually managed), Malibu Grand Prix, Silver Ball, The Pink Flamingo, Sf2 cab at Buckeye Donuts, Squirty Worms (family owned and operated chuck e cheese type of place located in lima, ohio; worked there too!), Aladdin's Castle and random bowling alleys (especially Sequoia Bro Bowl)....thats all i can think off.. so too mich vadka adjuice. ad stuff

 

[HadesWTF]

lol

When i was growing up, there was an arcade downtown called The Tilt, a nearby arcade called The Great Escape, and finally Boardwalk.

We used to have one called Aladdin's Castle too lol

Tilt is an arcade chain.

We still have one around here. Mine was Cinema 4.....that's right it was a movie theater and not an actual Arcade. : )

It was just a big and got all the new stuff though.

 

[Reedoms]

We had one in my town in the 15 years I've been here. It was a skate rink and they had MvC2, Street Fighter 2, MK3 and a bunch of those shooter games.
That place was fun as hell even though it was on the ghetto side of town.

 

[Lord Beef]

We had one called The Tilt, which was in a mall, basement level. Pretty sweet, but then came Tornado Terry's! Pay 10 bucks at the door, all games on free play mode! Plus bomb ass frito pie.

-b_s- :headbang:

 

[psychodynamix]

The one and only... "Chinatown Fair" located here in downtown NYC (Manhattan). The same one that closed up earlier this year.

Wu-Tang's Old Dirty Bastard filmed "Brooklyn Zoo" in C.F. back in 95'. Yea, C.F. also had a dancing and fortune telling chicken wayyy back in the day. LOL.

 

[K7L33THA]

1. The Fun House (My favorite arcade, big space with pinball, tons of fighting games, clean family friendly atmosphere)

2. Jungle House (The seedy but awesome late night arcade literally next door to a strip club. Always smelled like smoke and was dark black lit, some of my best MK2 games were here)

3. Bells Amusement Arcade (This was an arcade inside a small theme park. Not very big, but a good selection. Had MK2 on a big screen setup)

4. Celebration Station's Arcade (Huge 2 story arcade, once my friend rented it out for a birthday and we were in gaming heaven all night)

5. Eastland Mall Arcade (This was my go to arcade since it was really close, and everytime I'd go to the mall to see a movie I'd hit up the arcade for hours afterwards. MK3 days)

Sadly the only one still around today is Fun House, but they moved locations and I haven't been in there in years.

 

[aj1701]

Stalhs Hobby Shop. It was in the back. In the front were the models and a huge slot car track. Also where I bought rocket engines. I think it got caught up in a fire when the pizza place burnt down.

Also played alot of mk2 at the arcade at Dorney Park.

 

[Tim Static]

thats all i can think off.. so too mich vadka adjuice. ad stuff

oh:

 

[doomfarmer]

Growing up, there was an arcade in a mall about a mile away from my house that I would walk to, but the name escapes me. The first time I played mortal kombat (the first one) was at a liquor store a few blocks from my house. It was closer than going to the mall, and the only cabinet they had was MK. That's all I wanted to play at the time anyway.

There's this place about a 30-40 minute drive from me, it's gone downhill because arcades just don't make the money they used to, but I still go here sometimes; Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum. Holds a lot of memories for me.

 

[Mr Roguelike]

Wizard's Castle when I was a kid, then within the last 10 years it got downgraded twice before disappearing. Wish they could have held out a little longer so I could of put a bid in for some of their machines.
Now I wanna start working on the Rogue's Den...aka my basement...yes that was lame lol

 

[Noob Saibot]

There was a Tilt in St. Louis (Northwest Plaza)...but the one I went to most often was a Pantera's pizza place right by my house in Edwardsville, IL.

 

[aj1701]

oh:

Lol I missed that... You held it together really well until then.

 

[Tim Static]

Lol I missed that... You held it together really well until then.

longer i sat & thought the more effect it had on me....that post seriously took like 30m to finish lol (and in that 30m i was drinking and drinking too....PS- im not much of a drinker. lol)

 

[GNG Iniquity]

I wish I could remember the ones in LA, but the names elude me. I usually just went to the local liquor store as a kid to play MK1/2 and SF2 though; those were good times. Still pretty peeved that I got my foot in the door of the Arcade scene from 6 to about 10, but missed ALL OF IT from that point on...

Sucks. Hardly got to enjoy it.

 

[MKF30]

1. South Beach Arcade and Amusement Park(closed down now sadly)

2. Show Place Bowling Center(used to have a bigger arcade in it, now has a dinky one)

3. Fun Station, still there and sadly Staten Island's biggest arcade. They have MK4 there lol...but the sticks are kind of messed up...

 

[Niflheim]

There was two in my whole town, and only in bowling alleys. Good thing I liked bowling and games when I was little(and still do).

 

[Crackpipe]

My dad use to own an arcade/pool hall called Pinball Alley back in the early 80's in the San Fernando Valley. I was a Pac-Man prodigy because at 5 years old I could run that game for a minute. Probably bad for business that I hogged up the busiest machine in the arcade. I remember he use to charge $2 for all you could play for like two hours. After he sold off the arcade (probably from me hogging up the Pac-Man machine), we kept some of the games like Defender, Asteroid, Space Invaders, and Missile Command. My dad was legit at Missile Command, he would play that game in the garage for hours. Needless to say, I was a hardcore videogame junkie, which is surprising now since I don't play games all that much.

Back on Topic, some legit arcades in the Valley back in the 80's

Tilt
Malibu Grand Prix (Chastworth/Northridge)
Castle Park (still around I think)
Space Station (Northridge mall)
Tilt (chatsworth)
Family Fun Arcade (still around in Granada Hills)
Time Out Arcade (Sherman Oaks Galleria)

Then there were the bowling alleys like the Granada Hills Brunswick that had a good sized arcade.

Man I miss those days, I even have weird vivid reoccuring dreams about going to arcades in some huge made up malls or casinos. As cool is Family Fun Arcade, it just doesn't have that same vibe and feeling as the legit arcades back in the 80's.

 

[Tremloc]

We had one called The Tilt, which was in a mall, basement level. Pretty sweet, but then came Tornado Terry's! Pay 10 bucks at the door, all games on free play mode! Plus bomb ass frito pie.

-b_s- :headbang:

You talking about the tilt at north east mall? I played a lot of MK and killer instinct there. :O

When I was living in chicago it was Just for Games, Aladdin's Castle at the Harlem-Irving Plaza, and Dennis's Place for Games.

Just for Games was where the real MK2 players hung out. It looked like an epic seedy arcade, but everyone took care of everyone else. It sounds cheesy but it was kinda like cheers where you walk in and everyone knew the regulars.

Aladdin's Castle was the kid scrub arcade, but fun when you wanted to do more than just hang out at an arcade all day (since it was at the mall).

Dennis's Place was overpriced and far from my house, but on saturdays you paid 5 bucks and from 10:30 - 2:30 (or something) all the games were on free play.

In Dallas it was mostly Gameworks cause my friends worked there and I got to use their freeplay cards all the time, but before Gameworks was built the tilt.

So many memories...

 

[hardwire]

You talking about the tilt at north east mall? I played a lot of MK and killer instinct there. :O

When I was living in chicago it was Just for Games, Aladdin's Castle at the Harlem-Irving Plaza, and Dennis's Place for Games.

Just for Games was where the real MK2 players hung out. It looked like an epic seedy arcade, but everyone took care of everyone else. It sounds cheesy but it was kinda like cheers where you walk in and everyone knew the regulars.

Aladdin's Castle was the kid scrub arcade, but fun when you wanted to do more than just hang out at an arcade all day (since it was at the mall).

Dennis's Place was overpriced and far from my house, but on saturdays you paid 5 bucks and from 10:30 - 2:30 (or something) all the games were on free play.

In Dallas it was mostly Gameworks cause my friends worked there and I got to use their freeplay cards all the time, but before Gameworks was built the tilt.

So many memories...

wow its awsome seeing people from your neck of the woods

i live right next to the north east mall (its sad to see the tilt close down) i used to go to tornado terrys

i also went to grapvie mills and play in gameworks (that was the best)

 

[Lord Beef]

wow its awsome seeing people from your neck of the woods

i live right next to the north east mall (its sad to see the tilt close down) i used to go to tornado terrys

i also went to grapvie mills and play in gameworks (that was the best)

Tornado terrys FTW! Good lord the lines on the mk3 bigscreen setup. Tremloc,,your in the df-dub? I'll be damned! But yeah, the tilt was tits. Giant Pirate ship in the middle of a mall food court?! Why yes please

-b_s- :headbang:

 

[Tim Static]

Ive been updating my OP with some here and there, mainly inspired by reading others posts. ie Alladin's Castle, bowling alleys etc etc hehe

good stuff everyone!

 

[Tremloc]

Tornado terrys FTW! Good lord the lines on the mk3 bigscreen setup. Tremloc,,your in the df-dub? I'll be damned! But yeah, the tilt was tits. Giant Pirate ship in the middle of a mall food court?! Why yes please

-b_s- :headbang:

Yep in grapevine!

 

[Lord Beef]

Ohhh shit! Almost forgot about NickelMania in N.R.H. exactly what it sounds like, all games were a nickel. Huge bucket of win.

-b_s- :headbang: